Until the End of Our Time
by star-chan007
Summary: There is too much time for Naruto Uzumaki. He is the last of his kind, the last ninja, alone in the world by his own doing. But now, faced with forgetting his past or forsaking his future, it seems time is running out.
1. Prologue

So, this is basically my idea of where the series will go, with my own twist on it. I don't know yet but there might be some slight SasuNaru later on... Please review!

A/N: I started this long before the series got to where it is...I think it was just after Sasuke left so...yeah...I know it doesn't fit...just enjoy the story please... ^_^

Naruto panted as he looked around. He cried out in pain and clutched his shoulder as he dropped to his knees. He was dying and he knew it. Sasuke was lying a few feet away from him, eyes dead, and a gaping hole through his stomach. Naruto just wanted to let go, to just leave this place and be happy.

'And perhaps in a little less pain.' He though bitterly. He felt his face make solid connection with the dirt. 'That's funny, I didn't feel myself fall.' He was staring at the raven's face now.

His hair was still damp with sweat and blood and his eyes stared blankly into the distance, seeing everything and nothing at the same time. A trail of dark crimson went from his mouth and pooled into a black puddle on the ground. Naruto wished desperately that things would have turned out differently. He wished that Sasuke would have come back to them, that it hadn't come down to a final fight. He vaguely wondered if the rest of his teammates had survived their fights with Sasuke's…some of which were still missing… He looked over to the raven and couldn't contain the sorrow that filled his heart.

Tears leaked out of his blue eyes as he thought of the past. Poor Sakura…she would be devastated. She had loved Sasuke so much and Naruto had broken his promise to her. He couldn't bring Sasuke home to her. Suddenly a final piece completed a puzzle in the back of his thoughts. What about the rest of the village? If he died, the Kyuubi would be released once more! He couldn't allow that to happen but… Now that he thought about it, the fox had been awfully quiet.

"Kyuubi?" Naruto called in his mind.

"I'm here kit…what do you need?" the usually ferocious voice was tired and strained.

"I can't let you out….you know that right." Naruto said. There was a long silence followed by a short, humorless laugh.

"Yes…I know that…I've known I wouldn't be free again since I was sealed in this body." Kyuubi stated. Naruto grunted in agreement and stood up. He had an idea about how to keep himself alive but…

"This will probably hurt." He warned the fox.

"Why don't we find out?" Kyuubi's voice was bitter and resigned and Naruto chuckled a bit before he concentrated on summoning the rest of both of their chakra to his index finger.

It began glowing in a swirl of blue and orange. Naruto took a deep, shuddering breath and placed it in the center of the seal on his stomach. He was attempting to fuse his life with the Kyuubi's. Naruto would be unable to die as long as Kyuubi lived. He was giving up the rest of his normal life for the people who had shunned him but more importantly for his friends and those who had loved and accepted him. How was he to know that at that exact moment, the rest of the Bijuu were being set loose on his village?

Memories of places he had never been and battles he had never fought overwhelmed him and he dropped once again to his knees, screaming in agony. How was he to know he was being put through all of that pain for people who were no longer alive? He landed face down on the ground and lay there clutching his head. His breath came in short, shallow waves and the bloody scene in front of him slid in and out of focus.

"You were right kit…that did hurt." The normally distant voice was unsettlingly close.

"N-no pain…ugh…no g-gain… That's what they s-say isn't it?" Naruto panted hoarsely.

He lay there for a few more moments as he struggled to return his breathing to normal. Eventually he found enough strength to pull his bruised and battered body off the ground and stood up. He picked up Sasuke's body and tossed it over his shoulder before setting off. Sakura would want him to have a proper burial and despite everything that had happened, so did he.

It was a long journey back to the village but he didn't want to stop. He knew that if he did he wouldn't be able to get back up. Finally he reached the end of the trees and smiled, expecting the gates of his home to appear before him in a few seconds. But when he reached the entrance, all that lay before him was a pile of rubble. His home had been reduced to smoking piles of rock and debris. There were bodies of fellow ninjas everywhere, some of them ripped to almost unrecognizable pieces.

The further into the village he got, the less ninja and more civilians he saw. He found himself standing where the academy once stood and saw a patch of red underneath a pile of rocks. He carefully dug through it, afraid of what he would find. He pulled Sakura's limp form off the pile and couldn't fight the powerful urge to be sick. Her chest was torn open and her limbs stuck out at odd angles. Underneath her mangled body were the bodies of several children whom she had obviously died protecting. He looked around him in disgusted shock.

'What….h-how…I don't understand." He thought weakly, fighting the bile rising in his throat.

"Lend me your sensed kit." Kyuubi's voice surprised Naruto and he looked around wildly for the speaker before realizing where it had come from.

"How?" Naruto asked.

"Just close your eyes and relax." Kyuubi instructed.

Naruto did as he was told and suddenly found that he couldn't see hear or smell anything. He was still in total control of his body but all of his sensed were gone. It was a very unnerving feeling.

"Hmm…other Bijuu have been here." Kyuubi said as everything slowly slid back into focus.

"Other Bijuu? But how? You don't think the other members of Sasuke's group could have…" Naruto couldn't figure it out.

"I don't know what to think kit." Kyuubi said unhelpfully.

"I-I don't believe it! There has to be someone left! There just…has…to…" Naruto hit the ground with a 'thud'. His damaged body had finally given out on him. The last thing his tired eyes saw were the faces of his teammates, bloody and cold but together again at last.


	2. Chapter 1

Naruto awoke with a start and quickly looked around his small apartment. Everything was as it should be…but that dream again…no that nightmare. Why was he having it _now_? This was the third night in a row and each time it was just as painful as before. He had already experience it once and seeing it again couldn't change the past… Naruto glanced up at his clock and sighed. It wasn't even six yet.

'Well…I suppose it wouldn't help to go in early today.'

He thought as he stretched. He flicked on the lights and yawned. His room was sparsely furnished but heavily decorated. Yellowing newspaper clips covered one wall completely and photos of different places and people another. The other two walls were adorned with random posters and marker. In one corner of his room stood a darkly stained dresser, on top of which lay his most important possessions. There were only 6 things but they meant more to him than anything else in the last hundred years.

There was a black frame which held a picture of happier times and five headbands, each with metal plating bearing the same symbol. Naruto reached out and carefully picked up the black frame. He stared at the picture, wishing he could be absorbed into it. His sensei smiled at the unknown photographer as he stood behind the rest of his team. Naruto's female teammate was grinning girlishly while he glared at his stoic raven haired teammate. He gazed intently at it for a few more moments before setting it down. He picked up each of the headbands in turn and dusted them off carefully.

This had become a daily routine for him. The picture was just a picture and the headbands were just outdated accessories, but they represented something bigger and more important than anything else in Naruto's world. They were reminders of his life…the life where he had _truly _belonged. You see, Naruto Uzumaki was no normal human. Oh sure, he may have looked like any other 16 year old but he was, in fact, almost 120 years old. The dream he had experienced earlier had been more than a dream. It had been a memory based off of his actual teenage years.

In his life time he had witnessed the death of everyone close to him, the destruction of his home village by unknown hands, the rebuilding of that very same village and many, many other important things. He had been around when the first car had come hurtling down the street…well, actually he had been in front of it…he had been a 'reporter' in those days…but that was a story for another time.

To him, the most important thing he had done was help found a museum, dedicated to the history of this city. Unfortunately, so much time had passed since the day of ninjas, that many believed them to be a myth. So, Naruto's idea to devote a section of the museum to the history and complexity of the ninjas had been overruled. He had dealt with it calmly, like any other business man would but he had gotten back at them…Oh yes. Not only had he outlived those idiots, he now worked at the museum…as a lowly custodian, but still… It gave him an opportunity to share some of the true history with people… if they were willing to listen of course. It was more difficult than it sounded though…he had to be very careful about the way he spoke. He couldn't reveal to them they way it had felt to see his home reduced to rubble or how it had felt to wake up in an unfamiliar place afterwards. No…Naruto didn't want to scare them. People these days didn't understand the way it had been…they didn't believe.

The few people who still spoke of ninjas were under the misconception that they had been super-human. People told gruesome stories that twisted facts until they were fiction. No…Naruto knew that if he told people what he really was he would be carted of to a lab and used as a guinea pig to all sorts of horrid tests. He also knew that he would be _disposed of_ when they were finished and that realistically, no one would care. Therefore, he preferred to keep to himself.

By this time, Naruto was dressed and ready to go. His blonde hair was as unruly as ever but there wasn't much he could do about it. His living room was more furnished than his bedroom and much messier. A large desk stood in the corner and was littered with papers and open books. The blank computer screen flashed to life as Naruto moved the mouse he had just uncovered.

"No new messages…go figure." He muttered as he ran a hand through his hair.

A book shelf to the left of the desk was crammed full of books, each with papers sticking out and pencils between the pages. It had become sort of a hobby of his, collecting history books and rewriting the parts that were untrue. He made himself a quick, unhealthy breakfast of ramen and grabbed an apple as he walked out the door. It took him about 15 minutes to walk to work and he was greeted warmly by the museum receptionist.

"Morning Naruto." She said with a smile.

Naruto grinned and nodded in acknowledgement. His eyes darted to the left of the desk where a framed photograph was centered on the wall. Underneath it a small plate identified it as a picture of the museum founders. Naruto found himself quickly…2nd row, 3rd from the right.

He was easily the youngest person in the photo. His hair was shaggy and auburn and contacts made his eyes seem green. He had also used a different name back then for obvious reasons. About every 5 or 6 years he had to find a new apartment and change his appearance and name. People would be suspicious if the same kid lived next to you for 10 years and never changed a bit…

"Hey did you hear me?" the secretary's irritated voice broke through his thoughts.

"What?" he asked, feeling stupid.

"There's a school group coming in at 8, Mr. K wants you to make sure that all the floors are done." She said.

Naruto nodded and pulled out his headphones before heading into the locker room to change. He always listened to music while he worked. It kept him focused. He glanced at himself in the mirror and chuckled. The jumpsuit that served as his uniform was bright orange. He hated, however, feeling confined to an article of clothing that covered his body so he rolled the top down, exposing his plain, black T-shirt.

He worked his way through every room, making sure not to leave any muddy shoe prints or puddles of dirty mop water. When he finally finished he looked up at the clock with a smile. The time read 7:45. 'Perfect! Done and with time to spare.' He thought smugly. He turned to look at a large glass case with a reminiscent smile.

This was his favorite piece. It was a replica of his home, downscaled thousands of times. The Hokage monument towered over the tiny buildings, each of which was perfect. There was even a tiny Ichiraku ramen stand. Naruto found that if he stared at this thing long enough, he could clearly picture himself walking down the streets again, his teammates by his side.

His headphones were still on so he didn't hear the squeaking of shoes on his freshly washed floor. He turned around only to collide with something hard and fall onto the floor. He glared up angrily, a few well chosen swear words ready to be fired at whoever knocked him over. But these words, along with anything else that might have resembled a thought, vanished from his mind the moment he looked up at the teenager in front of him.

A pale face framed by dark, raven colored hair stared down at him. The boy's dark eyes were narrowed into a glare.

"Maybe you should try apologizing instead of sitting there gawking at me."

His voice was softer and gentler but it spent shivers down Naruto's spine all the same. The blonde scrambled to his feet and apologized quietly. The 'Sasuke look-alike' just shrugged and walked away with the rest of his class. Naruto made a grand effort to avoid the high schoolers for the rest of their tour and was glad when his shift was finally over.

As Naruto sat at his kitchen table eating dinner, he couldn't help but feel stupid. He had spent most of his morning thinking about his past right? So how did he know his mind wasn't playing tricks on him? How did he know that he hadn't seen a kid with dark hair and _imagined_ that he had looked so much like Sasuke? He didn't. Therefore, it was the most likely solution.

'Besides…' Naruto thought as he rinsed off his plate. 'Sasuke's dead and the dead don't come back to life.'

He walked into the living room and was about to sit down at his computer when there was a knock on his door. He opened the door and blinked…once…twice…three times. No, he wasn't imagining it… the 'Sasuke look-alike' was indeed standing in front of him.

"Um…Hi." Naruto said, forcing a smile.

"Hi." The boy's reply was short but pleasant.

The two stared at each other for a moment before the raven shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and reached into his pocket. Naruto's instincts caused him to tense slightly but he relaxed when Sasuke pulled out an MP3 player. It looked strangely familiar… Naruto quickly checked his pockets only to discover that his beloved music player was gone.

"I found this…on our way out… so I asked the receptionist for your address. She offered to give it to you tomorrow but I wanted to do it myself." The boy said.

Naruto raised his eyebrows as he accepted the small blue device.

"Why's that?" he asked.

"Well…I also wanted to apologize I guess… I know my behavior was rude earlier." The raven said.

Naruto's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he remember that the boy standing in front of him wasn't _really_ Sasuke.

"It's fine." He said easily. "I should have been paying more attention." He may have had a hard time admitting the fact that he was wrong when he was younger but a few extra decades of life had certainly made it easier.

"Anyways, thanks a lot for returning this…I don't know what I'd do without it." Naruto said with a smile.

The boy just nodded.

"So…since you went through all the trouble to find me, why don't you come in for a few minutes?" Naruto asked.

The raven shrugged and stepped into the apartment. Naruto blushed a bit when he realized that it was quite messy but noticed that the other teen didn't seem to mind.

"What was your name again?" he asked, knowing perfectly well that he hadn't been told already.

"Oh, sorry. My name's Sasuke…Uchiha." he said.

Naruto managed a nod and sat down on the couch before his knees gave out on him. How could this be possible? Sasuke was dead…he had been that way for over 100 years now. Naruto discretely took a few deep breaths to calm himself as Sasuke looked around. He smiled and stood up.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki." He said and stared intently at the raven, praying for a spark of recognition but there was nothing. "Do you want something to drink?" Naruto offered.

"No thanks…I should probably be going actually…my brother is waiting for me." Sasuke told him.

"Your brother?" Naruto asked curiously. Surely this boy's name was a fluke; some twisted joke played on him by god… there couldn't be more to this.

"Yeah, Itachi." Sasuke said. Naruto felt as if he had been hit in the stomach. It took him a few moments before he was capable of stringing a sentence together.

"Do you live with him?" Naruto asked. He couldn't help it…he knew his questions were a bit personal…Sasuke was technically a stranger after all but… he had to know.

"Yes…my parents died in a care accident when I was little." Sasuke explained.

There was no anger in his voice…no regret…It seemed as if he had moved on from that time in his life. Naruto took some comfort in the fact that even though Sasuke's family was gone, his brother hadn't been the one to do it.

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" he asked again, frowning when the boy nodded. He as becoming desperate.

He needed to find a way to keep this boy here… to watch him for just a few more moments just in case. If Sasuke left and it was the last Naruto saw of him, it would be like losing the raven all over again.

"Hey, do you by any chance know a girl named Sakura?" Naruto asked. He wasn't sure why he asked it…some sort of morbid curiosity I guess. He was shocked once again when Sasuke nodded.

"Yeah, she's one of my friends… why? Do you know her or something?" he asked. Naruto smiled a bit, not realizing that the sadness he was feeling seeped into it.

"Yeah…I guess you could say that…" he said. Sasuke raised an eyebrow but shrugged and let it go.

"Hey…I know this might sound weird but do you think we could do something together sometime?" Naruto asked as he walked over to the desk and searched for a pencil and pad of paper. He saw Sasuke shift uncomfortably out of the corner of his eye.

"I _guess_ we could… I mean, I don't always have very much free time…" he explained. Naruto grinned.

"That's okay. If you're ever bored just give me a call." He said. He moved to hand

Sasuke the slip of paper with his cell number on it but jerked his hand away. His fingers had barely touched the raven's skin but there was a sort of spark that ran through his entire body. He stared at his hand for a moment before realizing he had probably freaked the other teenage out.

"Sorry about that." He said sheepishly.

Had Sasuke really not felt that? He once again held out his hand and the raven took the paper almost reluctantly. After Sasuke left, the headache that had been threatening him since the knock on the door kicked in full force. He lay down on the couch and closed his eyes, letting his body shut down as his mind raced. Was all of this really possible? Had he really found his friends? If so, how? They had died…they… Naruto sighed and stood up. He pulled on his coat and shoes and put his hands together, his eyes closed in concentration. Suddenly there was an odd popping noise and he was replaced by a cloud of smoke.

When he opened his eyes, he was no longer standing in his living room. He was in a small clearing of forest. In front of him were stairs that led down to a door. On the door were three small slips of paper. His hands moved quickly, blurred by speed as he made familiar hand signs. The papers glowed blue for a moment and fell to the ground. The room behind the door was the opposite of his apartment. It was spacious and tidy. Nothing was out of place. It was full of an assortment of training equipment from weapons to punching bags and dummies. You name it and it was probably in there somewhere. It was his training room, his safe haven, a place where he came to let of steam and be his 'true' self.

There was another door in the far left corner and has he put his hand on the handle, a familiar chill passed through him. He opened the door and removed his shoes before entering. He quickly found a box of matches and lit several candles. Unlike the outer room, there were no electric lights. The hard, packed earth was cool under his feet as he turned to face a sort of altar. The room was a shrine, dedicated to his friends and anyone else who had died while trying to save Konoha. It was also a grave to some degree. After Naruto regained consciousness, he had taken his friend bodies and had them cremated and brought them here after it was built.

Naruto only disturbed this place of peace and solitude in times like these, when he need help…when he needed guidance. He knelt down and bowed his head in prayer. When he was finished he sat down and crossed his legs. He was fully away that the urns which contained the ashes of his precious people lay buried beneath him. So how was it that he had been talking to one of those people only a short while ago?

"Help me…please. I don't know what to do… Should I leave him alone or is there something I'm missing? What is going on?" he cried softly.

His hands clutched his pants and balled into fists. He hung his head and was silent. He pictured himself in a place far away from here, back on the bridge in Konoha, his friends and sensei next to him.

"So I meet this kid today and he looks exactly like Sasuke but he's different and I don't know what to do." He explained. Sakura turned to him and smiled.

"Did you talk to him at all?" she asked. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, and go figure _his_ name is Sasuke Uchiha also! He even lives with his brother, Itachi." He explained. He saw Sasuke stiffen out of the corner of his eye. "Well, he's not exactly the same as you. I mean, he lives with his brother because his parents were in an accident." Naruto added hastily. Sasuke just shrugged.

"Whatever." He muttered. Naruto smiled…some things never changed.

"Well Naruto, it can't hurt to make some new friends you know." Sakura chided, though the smile didn't leave her face. Naruto looked down at his feet to avoid meeting her eyes.

"I know but…I don't…I don't want to forget." He whispered. Sasuke stepped forward. He was irritated and Naruto could easily tell.

"Naruto, you can't keep doing this to yourself…you can't keep shut-" Naruto's head snapped up.

His decision was made. He stood up and bowed once more before blowing out the candles and walking out of the room. He knew what he would do. It seemed so incredibly simple now. He would just ignore them. It was as simple as that. He would keep to himself just as he always had. Sakura was wrong, he didn't need to make new friends…he would just wait to be with his old ones.


	3. Chapter 2

As he lay in bed, Naruto couldn't remember a time when he had felt so restless. He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep, he couldn't even sit still. Around him, everything was to quiet but his mind was racing and continuously tempting his body to do the same. He had made up his mind on what to do about the whole 'Sasuke situation' but it had been so much easier to do it away from his home, where he couldn't picture Sasuke's lithe form leaning against his doorway or hear his soft voice echoing in his ears.

Naruto stood up with a sigh and made his way into the bathroom where he opened a cabinet above the sink. He pulled out a bottle filled with red liquid and quickly read the dosage instructions before unscrewing the cap, shrugging and swallowing a large mouthful.

'Disgusting.' He thought with a shudder.

Normally, Naruto wouldn't consider the use of unnecessary cold medicine but he knew it would make him drowsy and he wanted to fall asleep more than anything right now. He walked back to his bedroom and plopped down on his bed. He stared at the ceiling, focusing on a water stain above his bed that had been there as long as he had lived there. As he waited, it became harder and harder to keep his eyes open. Sleep came eventually but it was far from the peaceful, dreamless sleep he had hoped for.

Naruto tossed and turned but never woke. He let out a strangled cry of pain and despair and then became very still. His breathing slowed to a normal pace and his tense muscles relaxed. His dreams were different now. Sasuke stood in front of him, a nervous smile on his face. Wait…was that _really_ Sasuke? No…it wasn't the Sasuke Uchiha he had grown up with…this one was different, friendlier, more inviting.

Naruto stared as Sasuke reached out his hand, two fingers extended. Naruto looked up at the raven in shock but something behind him caught his attention. There was a crowd of people standing behind the boy, all familiar but strange and alien at the same time. They were all smiling at him, waiting for him to join them. Suddenly, Naruto was acutely aware of a presence behind him.

He turned and saw another Sasuke…_his_ Sasuke and behind him were more people. The faces were completely familiar and smiles told him they were happy to see him. Sasuke reached out a hand, two fingers extended, an exact copy of the raven behind him. Without thinking, Naruto reached out his own hand, but paused, his tan fingers just inches from the pale ones in front of him.

At first, Sasuke didn't seem to understand but as he leaned his head to the left, to see around the blonde, his expression became full of understanding. He stepped forward and grabbed Naruto's wrist, dragging him back to the other boy. He took Naruto's hand and put it in the still outstretched hand of his mirror image and wrapped their fingers around each other's. He gave a strange sort of half smile and took a step back. Naruto looked up at the boy whose hand was in his own. The boy smiled and gave a tug.

Naruto hesitantly took a step forward but turned and looked at the Sasuke behind him. Sakura stepped up beside him and looped her arm through his with a smile. She nodded and waved a hand as if to tell him that it was okay, he could leave. Naruto smiled and nodded in return before starting to walk towards the new crowd of people. Suddenly a wave of panic spread through him. He turned around once more and saw his friends start to fade away. Then, he was alone and it dawned on him. By refusing to choose, he had lost everyone.

Naruto awoke with a start. His breathing was heavy and he could feel the sweat running down the back of his neck. He pulled his knees up to his chest and closed his eyes in thought. He had a decision to make.

'I guess it wouldn't be so bad to have friends again…I know _they_ want me to…but…Well, even if I do screw up, I could just leave…they'd be dead in a few years anyway…' he thought bitterly.

He sat in silence for a few more moments but his mind was made up. He lay back down and got comfortable and sleep claimed him once again not long after that. Thankfully though, it was blissfully dreamless. Naruto awoke the next morning to his cell phone playing some annoying jingle. He ignored the call to express his irritation and hopefully annoy whoever had decided to call him at 9AM on a Saturday morning. Eventually, after listening to it beep for several minutes, Naruto picked it up and flipped it open.

'Hm…an unknown number… I wonder who it could have…' suddenly something clicked. "Sasuke!" he shouted and hastily pressed the send button.

He squirmed impatiently as it rang. After the third ring, a calm voice answered from the other end.

"Uchiha residence." The voice was vaguely familiar.

'It must be his brother.' Naruto thought. "Yes, um, I'm looking for Sasuke…I'm a friend of his." Naruto explained, inwardly cursing when the statement came out sounding more like a question.

"Yes, hold on a minute." Naruto heard a muffled shout and a few seconds later he heard Sasuke's voice.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Hey Sasuke, it's Naruto…uh, you called me?" he asked.

"Oh yeah…well, I thought maybe you me and Sakura could hang out today." Sasuke said. Naruto was to shocked to respond and it took a few seconds before he was capable of speech.

"Sure! That sounds great! Um, when, where and how?" he asked, barely believing his luck.

"Well, we could go see that new action movie… with the ninjas and stuff…it's supposed to be good. How does noon sound and as to how…what exactly does that mean?" Sasuke asked.

"How are we getting there, but since it's the movies we can just walk." Naruto told him.

"Okay, sounds good…the movies at 12:30 so Sakura and I'll be there around noon. See you then I guess." Sasuke said.

Naruto agreed and hung up. Excitement coursed through his entire body. He was going to hang out with people! What to wear though? Maybe he would buy something new? See, despite the shabby look of his apartment, he had large amounts of money stored in several banks. Besides, there was a new clothing shop down the street that he had been wanting to check out. It wouldn't take very long… it was only quarter after nine.

The store was different from most places in the area, that much was obvious. The speakers emitted something closer to screaming than music and most of the employees had at least one facial piercing. As he browsed the racks, something bright pink caught his eye. It was a pair of pants, and thankfully, in his size. When he tried them on, he found that they fitted closely to his legs.

'Cool.' He thought as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

Along with the pants he bought a white shirt with a rainbow checkerboard tie and a plain black vest. Even though it was a bit different, it suited him. He walked back to his apartment and quickly changed into his new clothes…he didn't care that they hadn't been washed… they still smelled new and for some reason, just like that 'new car smell', it was addicting. He glanced at the clock and sighed. He still had an hour and a half to wait…well, he hadn't eaten breakfast yet…he had been too excited.

He busied himself in the kitchen making scrambled eggs and toast. He pulled out the milk and took a drink straight from the carton. He smiled and he put it away, his thoughts drifting back to the days of orange jumpsuits and missions… days when his milk had usually been sour. He looked at the clock again hopefully.

'Damn…' he thought. 'Only 11:15.' He still had forty-five minutes to kill.

He rinsed off his plate and set it in the sink before walking over to the shelf, pulling out one of the newer books and grabbing a pen and pad of paper.

MEANWHILE

"I'm really happy for him. I think it's great that he's finally making friends again." Sakura said. Sasuke nodded silently.

"It's funny though… the people he befriends are so much like us…I wonder why." She said.

"I think they _are_ us." Sasuke said quietly.

"Maybe our reincarnates or something… but you need a soul to do that and you and I are still here so that can' be but… I wonder if-" Sakura's eyes were wide as she interrupted him.

"But how's that possible? They aren't demons or something are they?" she asked. Sasuke sighed, wondering how she could possibly come to a conclusion like that.

"Let me rephrase that. I think that they're a _part_ of us… the parts we've kept hidden for so long we wouldn't realize that they were gone. The majority of my emotions for example. I'd be willing to bet that even if I wanted to I couldn't cry right now. _He_ has that part of me… but what I want to know is _why_…" Sasuke's voice trailed off but he continued to mutter to himself as Sakura turned to watch Naruto with concern in her green eyes.

MEANWHILE

Naruto was so absorbed in the history book in his lap that he nearly dropped it when he heard a loud knock on the door…it sounded more like someone was pounding on it actually.

"Hold on a second!" he shouted as he hastily shoved the book back in its place.

He opened the door and saw Sasuke standing there, accompanied by a girl who was looking around interestedly.

"Hi Naruto." Sasuke said with a smile. His voice was soft, almost unsure.

"Hey." Naruto replied with a grin and turned to the other girl. She winked as she took in his appearance.

"Wow Sasuke, why didn't you tell me he was so cute?" she asked with a flirtatious smile in his direction.

Naruto felt the blood rush to his cheeks at her comment and was secretly pleased. It had been a _very_ long time since any girl had shown interest in him. Her green eyes were bright and her hair wasn't pink but strawberry blonde.

"Don't you think you should introduce yourself _before_ you start flirting?" Sasuke asked. There was an amused tone to his voice that indicated that this was a common occurrence.

"Oops…how silly of me! My name's Sakura Haruno." Her voice was a bit higher pitched than he was used to but it wasn't that bad really.

'Besides…it's a pretty awesome tradeoff.' He thought as he locked the door behind them.


	4. Chapter 3

So, another chapter in the story...this one goes out to my homies at AB, hope you guys ike it! ^_^

When they arrived, the theater was blissfully empty. A majority of the few people there seemed to be either coming or going from the same movie they were waiting to purchase tickets for.

"Hey Sasuke, what's this movie called again?" Naruto asked curiously as they waited behind a few other boys.

"Shinobi: Rise of the Red Dawn." Sasuke replied as he pulled out his wallet.

Naruto nodded hesitantly…why did that seem so familiar? The trio was pleased to see that when they entered their assigned theater, there were no young kids or anyone that seemed like they would cause trouble. They found seats in the middle of the top row and Naruto couldn't help but wonder at how perfect everything was.

"So what's it about anyways?" he asked. There was no need to be quiet yet. Unimportant advertisements still flitted across the screen. Sakura giggled.

"You agreed to come before you even knew what it was about?" she asked. Naruto laughed sheepishly and nodded. There was no need to admit that he had just been desperate to spend time with people again.

"Well, it's a historical fiction movie, back where there were, you know, 'ninjas'," Sasuke said as he made imaginary quotation marks with his fingers. Naruto frowned.

"So…" he said, trying to sound casual.

"You're one of _those_ people." He said, as he glanced as his fingernails. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"One of _what_ people?" he asked.

"People who don't believe the way it was in the past…don't believe in _ninjas_." He copied Sasuke's gesture with a scowl on his face, unable to keep the fury out of his voice. Sasuke looked surprised.

"What? No! I'm not like that! I just…well, to be honest, I wanted you to think that I was. I don't have a lot of friends besides Sakura and part of that is because I'm such a… such a history freak. To me, our history, the history of this city, is the most fascinating thing they teach in school. Sometimes I wish ninja were still around…or that I were lucky enough to have been born one." Sasuke explained, his voice easily portraying his excitement. Naruto grinned. If only the raven knew how close he was sitting to one, right that very moment. Naruto's smile slipped off his face. There was something else though…

"What is it?" Sasuke inquired.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. You just…remind me of someone I used to know." Naruto told him.

"Who?" the raven asked.

"A very, very close friend." Naruto answered.

"What happened to them?" Jeez, did this kid have an 'off' switch?

"They died, a long time ago." The blonde said.

Sasuke was still curious but something about the other boy's tone made it clear that their conversation was over. It was actually spectacular timing, really. A few seconds later, the lights dimmed and the theater's trademark animation and jingle played on the screen. Then the screen went black. A deep, male voice echoed over the speakers.

"Long ago, in a time of conflict and violence every village had protectors and heroes. They moved like lightning and had harnessed the power of their internal energy known as chakra. They trained hard and fought herder. They were _Shinobi_." And on the screen bold silver letters appeared.

"Though these ninja were strong, they were about to face a brand new enemy known only as… _The Akatsuki_." And as the man finished speaking, blood red letters slowly phased onto the screen.

Naruto's hands balled into fists for a few seconds but then relaxed as he took a deep breath. This was no big deal. He could handle it. He had been through several situations similar to these. Besides, this was just a movie; it wasn't likely to be very historically accurate. How hard could this be? Not much later, however, Naruto excused himself and hurried out of the theatre.

His pulse was pounding in his ears and he felt the sweat running down his neck. It had seemed so real…even though it was just actors on a fake set, the details had been there, perfectly accurate. He couldn't help it. He had needed to get out there before he had started hyperventilating and caused a scene. His brain had been alternating between the movie and very realistic flashbacks.

He debated for a few minutes whether or not he should return, and even though a large part of him would have preferred to go home, he knew Sasuke and Sakura would be wondering where he had gone. He returned to them with a smile and whispered, 'bathroom', in response to Sasuke's questioning look. The raven nodded and returned his attention to the movie. Naruto took advantage of the raven's lack of attention and covertly pullout out his headphones.

Rather than leave the theatre he would just distract himself. There was still the problem, however, of keeping Sasuke under the impression he was paying attention. If Naruto closed his eyes, the other boy was sure to notice but even if he watched without sound, he didn't think he could do it. 'Well I guess I'll just have to try.' He thought resolutely. The blonde tried to focus on the music but occasionally a certain scene would touch a nerve and trigger the flashbacks. When this happened he would squeeze his eyes shut and take deep, even breaths. It helped, but not very much.

Even so, Naruto was disappointed when the movie ended. As much as the film had pained him, he would have endured it a thousand times over, just to have more time with the other teens he was currently walking home with. As Naruto's apartment complex came into view, a wave of panic hit him with full force. He had to have more time with them…

"H-hey guys! Do you maybe want to go out and have lunch somewhere?" he asked, forcing himself to sound calm. Sasuke shrugged.

"Sure, that sounds cool. Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"Ooh! I know! How about that place uptown?" Sakura squealed.

"The one with the awesome sushi?" Sasuke asked. Naruto unintentionally made a face. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"You don't like sushi?" he asked. Naruto shrugged.

"Eh…it's not my favorite." He replied.

"We don't have to go there then." Sasuke said. But Naruto didn't miss the fact that his face fell a bit and Sakura looked as though Christmas had been cancelled.

"Well, do they have other stuff?" he asked quickly.

"I think they have ramen." Sakura said hopefully. Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Sure! It's been a while since I've had any good ramen." He said with a grin.

Sakura punched the air above her head in triumph. She looped her am through Sasuke's and the two headed down the street with Naruto a few feet behind them. He observed them carefully, watching the way they interacted before asking his next question.

"So…are you two like, together?" Sakura paused for a moment and then burst out laughing. Naruto glanced at Sasuke to see that he was blushing profusely and wouldn't look at him.

"No Naruto, Sasuke and I aren't together. It's not that he's not cute, he's just not-"

"Your type?" Naruto supplied. Sakura laughed again.

"I guess you could say that." She said, still giggling a bit. Naruto cocked his head to the side. What was he missing?

"I don't get it, what's so funny?" he finally asked. Sasuke, who looked furious, opened his mouth to say something but Sakura beat him to it.

"Naruto, Sasuke's gay." She said, still smiling.

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. Sasuke was…gay? That couldn't be right…how…? The raven's face was very red but he couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. He grabbed Sakura's wrist and there Naruto what he hoped looked like a smile before dragging her a good distance away. Even though Naruto knew it was rude to eavesdrop, he couldn't help himself.

"Why would you do that? You're the only person I've told and I only told you because I thought I could trust you!" Sasuke seethed. Sakura looked ashamed.

"You're right Sasuke, I-"

"I know I'm right, that's not the point! You're the one who's always telling me to make more friends and the first time I meet a guy who doesn't think I'm a freak and you tell him I'm gay! Do you really think he's going to want to hang out with me now?" Sasuke was breathing heavily, his face was red and it almost seemed as if his eyes were wet.

'Okay,' Naruto thought, 'time to step in.' Naruto cautiously walked over to them and cleared his throat. Sasuke stiffened and forced a smile as he turned to the blonde. Sakura, who was also on the verge of tears, tried to do the same.

"I…I'm sorry to interrupt but, I wanted to tell you-"

"It's okay Naruto, I understand. You can leave if you'd like." Sasuke said it calmly but Naruto wasn't stupid. He knew how much that sentence must have hurt him to say.

"No! That's not what I was going to say! I…I don't care. Really, I don't. I still want to be your friend…" Naruto's eyes had locked with the raven's as he spoke and even when he was finished he found that he could not look away. Sasuke's eyes were wide with surprise.

"R-really? You mean it?" he asked incredulously.

Naruto nodded silently. Sasuke's face broke into a breathtaking smile. It was rather unsettling to see such a happy expression on the face he had grown up seeing so emotionless.

"Thank you Naruto…" he said quietly. Naruto grinned and laughed.

"It's nothing. I've seen and heard stranger things." He said.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Sasuke said sarcastically. Naruto wasn't able to stop himself before the words slipped out of his mouth.

"If only you knew…" Sasuke had barely seen the smile slip off the blonde's face before it was back.

Somehow though, his eyes weren't the same. Sasuke shrugged to himself and decided not to say anything. It wasn't really his business anyway…he didn't want to pry into the blonde's personal life. He didn't know him that well…

"Ooh! We're in luck." Sakura said excitedly, breaking the raven out of his thoughts.

She was right, even though it was a Saturday afternoon, the place wasn't very crowded. They were seated quickly and the trio began chatting happily as they discussed different items, debating which sounded the best.

MEANWHILE

Sasuke observed the scene below him with a look that very closely resembled disgust. A gay version of him? It was a disgrace to the Uchiha name. But then again, the logical part of his brain argued, his counterpart was opposite him in almost every other way. It only made sense that his sexual preferences would be…different, right? He tried to push the fact that Sakura's replica was not lesbian out of his head.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked. So, she was finally able to look at him without giggling, was she?

"I'm fine." He said coolly. Sakura smiled at him and looked down at her own counterpart and frowned as she watched the girl's hand 'accidentally' brush Naruto's.

"Ugh…I can't stand her...she's nothing like me! Look at the way she's practically drooling over him! It's disgusting…and if someone ever told me a secret like yours- I mean his! I would never just blurt it out like that!" she said, hoping Sasuke had missed her slip up. Apparently he hadn't because there was an irritated look on his face when he turned to her.

"That's the point Sakura; she's the exact opposite of you, just like he's the opposite of me." He said indifferently.

Sakura looked intently at Sasuke's clone for a moment, watching the way he reacted to Naruto, the way his eyes seemed to change when he looked at the blonde. 'Is that really the truth Sasuke?' she wondered as the raven turned his back to her. 'Are you really that different?'

I hope you guys enjoyed, and once agian please review! 3


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